According to the font of all knowledge – Wikipedia – “hyperbole” comes from the Greek word huperbole, meaning ‘exaggeration’. Hyperbole is the use, or an instance of, exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression but is not meant to be taken literally. As a literary device it is often used in poetry and are frequently encountered in casual speech. Hyperbole extends beyond the bounds of the actual limitations or features of an action, object, or state of affairs. For this reason, “some” can be expanded to mean “all”, “sometimes” can be expanded to “always”, and “big” becomes “huge”. Hyperbole and other literary devices which offer generalized caricatures are very common in the Bible.
When deciphering hyperbole and generalizations in a literary work, sometimes all we need is a little bit of common sense, and a little bit of knowledge about the socio-historical context. Though we could examine hundreds of examples, consider the following Bible verses:
“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.” (Romans 1:8).
All over the world? So the 250 indigenous Australian people groups had knowledge of the faith of the early Roman Christian community? Of course not. It’s hyperbole.
“But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here” (Acts 17:6).
Unable to find Paul and Silas, poor Jason and a handful of other nameless Christians are accused of causing trouble across the globe. One wonders how they survived the frigid conditions in Alaska as they infuriated the Inuit people with the Gospel.
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).
Cool. Jesus died for me, now I’m waiting for my free beachfront apartment and a Bugatti Chiron. Hey – will he not also graciously give me all things? Sadly, this kind of reasoning isn’t far from what some Christians actually believe. This is hyperbole, given to drive home the stunning breadth of God’s generosity to his people.
“He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32; ESV).
It seems weird that Jesus – the creator of the world – didn’t know that a mustard seed isn’t the smallest seed. Orchid seeds are much smaller. Check out this. But the fact is, Jesus is addressing their common cultural understanding of seeds. To them, it was the smallest of seeds, so Jesus spoke of it in that way. I suppose that’s not hyperbolic, but it is a ‘not-strictly-accurate’ statement to convey a truth. Yet, in the social context it conveys a spiritual point perfectly. And that’s the point.
‘It is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”– “a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” (Mark 1:2-3)
Mark has blended a quote from Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1, attributing the whole thing to the prophet Isaiah. He has done this knowing full well that his readers could cross-check what he’s saying. Yet, he seems completely comfortable with this to drive home his point.
We can cope with the Bible’s hyperbole and generalizations by remembering they are normal and useful features of human language. We must play close attention to hyperbolic language, bearing in mind the immediate literary context, and balance our exegesis with more restrictive language found elsewhere in the Bible. If we don’t take account of such literary devices, our reading of the scriptures will be distorted by an overly wooden approach. And that would be the worst thing in the world.
spes clara 